Tyne Daly once said to me “The most powerful word in Hollywood is no.” She then went on to tell me how she was offered “The Enforcer” with Clint Eastwood. At the time, Hollywood considered her a nobody. It all started with her flatly turning the audition down. The more times she said no (which was quite a few), the more they wanted her. It went from “We would like her to fly herself to L.A., put herself up, and then audition,” to “We are offering her the role.” Daly went on to tell me that actors should have the skin of a rhinoceros, but to make sure that it looks like a baby’s ass.
A few years into my career I was at Warner Bros. auditioning for a sitcom. As soon as I walked in I saw about 20 girls waiting—casting was running over an hour and a half behind. So I turned around and walked out. My agent had told me never wait for more than 45 minutes. (Yeah, can you believe that?)
A few hours later my phone rang—it was my agent. “Did you walk out of your audition?” When she heard why I had walked out she said, “OK, good. Well, they want to see you. How soon will you be able to get back to Warner Bros.?” I ended up booking it.
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